Through the course of this workshop, students will learn what lighting is, why it is important, how it can be used, what equipment can be used to create it, and how to organize a lighting design in a theatrical setting. Most importantly, I hope to apply specific knowledge to each school’s theatre’s lighting setup so that students (and theatre’s) have new skills and concepts to apply to their own shows.

This workshop will teach students the basics of stage lighting, and will cover the following topics: 

• How lighting impacts the human audience
• How lighting has been implemented for live performance through history
• The basics of how modern lighting equipment is used
• The ways lighting designers and lighting technicians organize and execute a lighting plot
• The inner workings of the fresnel lighting fixture, as well as the PAR, the Ellipsoidal reflector light, and then more recent LED and intelligent fixtures
• Demonstration of the operation of various kinds of lighting consoles, and how they interact with different fixtures
• How to draw a basic lighting plot and plan the lighting for any given show

Discussion points will include:

• Light reflection and refraction, how these are used effectively for lighting a live performance
• The different angles used in lighting, and how they are used to show different subjects in various ways to convey different feelings and ideas to the brain of the human audience

All DramaFest Workshops have limited availability. This workshop is not available April 26th-May 9th or May 17th-26th. Availability is also limited due to bookings by other classes.

• Students will be able to respond with critical awareness to their own work and to the work of others. 
  • Understanding of what light can do, and the typical ways to implement lighting in a theatrical setting.

Garrett (he/him) was born into the V. Anne Barker school of performing arts where he studied with his mother, as well as appeared in annual musical theatre productions with the school. Through his teenage years, Garrett began to delve into stagecraft and the technical aspects of theatrical production. Garrett went to Dalhousie University where he studied sceneography under Peter Perina, with a focus on lighting and stage management. Garrett works currently as Neptune Theatre’s ATD throughout their regular seasons but, whenever possible, he works as a set, lighting and projection designer for a variety of companies including The Ship’s Co, Live Bait, Starvox, Mulgrave Road, Doppler Effect, and Eastern Front. Garrett has recieved three Robert Merritt awards for his work. View Garrett’s profile. 

1. Students remain seated throughout this workshop.